Auto Club: No End In Sight For Gas Price Hikes

(LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2003)  For the eleventh consecutive week, the average price of gasoline increased throughout the Southwest last week, posting new record highs, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Since the beginning of 2003, gasoline prices in the Los Angeles  Long Beach area have risen 25.8 percent.

Currently, the average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles  Long Beach area is $2.102 per gallon, which is 7.7 cents higher than last week's price, 32 cents higher than last month and 64 cents higher than last year. In San Diego the price is $2.148, which is 8.3 cents higher than last week's level, 32 cents above last month and 66 cents higher than last year. Motorists in the central coast have an average price of $2.131, which is 7.1 cents above last week's price, 25 cents higher than last month and 58 cents higher than last year.

"Consumer demand for gasoline remains high and inventories of oil and gasoline are very low," Carol Thorp, spokesperson for the Automobile Club of Southern California said. "Unless consumer demand goes down, it's likely that we'll see higher pump prices for the next few weeks."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips. Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., March 14:

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The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.